Hair curler



Unite. States Patent HAIR CURLER William Arthur Whysall, Smethwick, England, assignor to Newey Brothers Limited, Birmingham, England, a British company Application October 7, 1953, Serial No. 384,567

Claims priority, application Great Britain February 21, 1953 2 Claims. (Cl. 132-42) This invention relates to a new or improved hair curler of the type comprising a divided body or stem around which a lock of hair is adapted to be wound and a retaining loop pivotally or otherwise connected to the body or stem.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved curler of that type which is simple and economical to manufacture and which has a number of advantages in use over existing curlers.

A hair curler according to my invention comprises a bifurcated body or stem made of semi-rigid plastic and consisting of two substantially parallel limbs connected at one end by an integral curved portion providing a substantially cylindrical eye, in combination with a retaining loop of flexible and elastic plastic having at one end a transverse bar which is received in the eye on the body for hingedly connecting the loop to the body and having at the other end an opening adapted to fit over and engage the free ends of the limbs of the body.

There is a transverse rib or projection on one of the limbs at the entrance to the cylindrical eye to reduce the normal width of the entrance to less than the diameter of the transverse bar on the loop so that the limbs have to be forcibly separated to allow the bar to be inserted and when they are released the bar is permanently trapped in the eye and the body and loop form a unit and cannot become separated in normal use, This arrangement greatly facilitates manufacture and assembly of the curler as there is no hinge-pin and no skill is required to fit the loop to the body.

The length of the eye in the body is equal to the width of the limbs so that the loop is maintained in correct alignment with the limbs.

The body of the curler and the loop may be moulded from the same plastic, such as polyvinyl-chloride, the grade of material used for the body being either unplasticized or only sufiiciently plasticized to give the body the necessary hardness, toughness, and resilience while the grade used for the loop is more highly plasticized so that the loop is flexible and elastic.

One practical form of curler in accordance with my invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a plan of the curler closed.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the curler closed.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the curler open.

Figure 4 is a plan of the curler open.

Figures 5 and 6 are a plan and side elevation respectively of the two parts of the curler before assembly.

In the curler illustrated the body comprises two limbs a, a connected at one end by an integral curved portion b providing a substantially cylindrical eye c. Each limb is of flat rectangular cross-section with rounded edges and with a longitudinal rib d on the outer surface for stiffening. The free ends of the limbs are tapered or pointed as shown at e beyond reduced necks for co-operating with the opening in the free end of the loop. On the inner surface of one limb at the entrance to the eye 0 there is a transverse ice rib or projection g to reduce the normal width of the entrance to the eye.

The body is conveniently moulded from polyvinylchloride which is unplasticized or only sufiiciently plasticized to make the body hard, tough and resilient.

The loop h is of skeleton rectangular outline with a transverse bar j of circular cross-section for engagement in the eye 0 in the body to form a hinge. At the other end of the loop there is a ring or opening k to receive the free ends of the limbs of the body, and on the outer side of the ring there is a finger-piece or tab 1 for manipulating the loop.

The diameter of the bar j is less than the internal diameter of the eye 0 in the body but greater than the Width of the entrance to the eye at the point where the entrance is narrowed by the rib g. To assemble the curler the limbs of the body are forced widely apart to open the entrance to the eye c and the bar 7' on the loop is inserted between the limbs and the loop is pulled along until the bar snaps past the rib g and enters the eye. On release of the limbs of the body they close and the bar is permanently trapped in the eye c and cannot come out again during the normal use of the curler. The loop is, however, free to swing angularly with respect to the body about the bar j as an axis. The length of the bar j is only slightly greater than the width of the eye c so that the loop is maintained in correct longitudinal alignment with the body.

The loop is conveniently moulded from polyvinylchloride which is sufiiciently plasticized to render the loop flexible and elastic.

The dimensions of the loop are such that it has to be stretched slightly to engage it with the ends of the limbs of the body so that there is little danger of it becoming accidentally disengaged.

To use the curler the free end of a lock or hair is drawn between the limbs of the body and the limbs are pressed together to hold the hair while the curler is rotated to wind the hair in a tight coil round the limbs. The re taining loop is then brought over and engaged with the free ends of the limbs so that it holds the limbs closed together and presses resiliently against the coil of hair on each side of the curler to retain the curler securely in position.

My improved curler has no sharp edges liable to break or split the hair and it is comfortable in wear. Further, if the curler is made of polyvinylchloride it is proof against attack by hair lotions or oils and is suitable for ordinary daily use or for carrying out permanent waving at home.

I claim:

1. A hair curler comprising a bifurcated, semi-rigid, plastic body including two substantially parallel symmetrical limbs having a central longitudinal plane of separation extending therebetween, an integral curved portion uniting said limbs at one end and providing a substantially cylindrical eye, said eye having an axis lying substantially in said plane of separation of said limbs, and a transverse projection on the inner side of one of said limbs adjacent said integral curved portion and extending towards said plane of separation of said one limb and said other limb and a flexible, elastic retaining loop, said loop including a bar at one end passing through said eye for hingedly connecting said loop to said body, the loop having an opening at its other end for engagement over the free ends of the limbs of said body, said transverse projection on said one limb being spaced from the other limb a distance less than the thickness of said bar and being of a configuration slightly graded towards said free ends and substantially hook-forming on the side of said eye whereby said bar when pulled between said limbs from said free ends towards said eye will climb said grade tending to spread said limbs apart and enter said eye but will be retained therein by said hook formation when pulled in the opposite direction.

2. A hair curler as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body is substantially rigid and wherein the distance between said axis of said eye and the free ends of said limbs is greater than the distance between said bar and said opening of said loop, whereby said loop must be stretched when said opening of said loop is placed in engagement with the free ends of said limb.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Marinsky Sept. 13, 1921 Rossberg May 15, 1923 Schneiderman Feb. 3, 1953 Solomon Mar. 10, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain May 11, 1933 Great Britain Dec. 22, 1939 

